Indiegogo: 7 Questions with Benjamin Loo of Mantecore Playing Cards

Inspired by their love for this majestic beast, Mantecore Playing Cards is a bold deck of cards designed by Edo Huang and Benjamin Loo. The deck was named as a tribute to magicians Siegfried and Roy's famous tiger.

Fully custom, Mantecore features an intricate back design inspired by one of the most classic back design, the Rider Backs. The pips have a fresh new look but are yet easily recognisable. The court have been simplified, enlarged and tweaked to look younger. Also, the borders that restrict the royals have also been removed and the colours have been updated to match the deck theme.

We managed to have a quick chat with Benjamin about his collaboration with Edo, the inspiration behind Mantecore and thoughts about playing cards on social media.

Can you tell us about yourself and how did you end-up collaborating with Edo Huang?
I am Benjamin from Singapore and I have been doing magic for about 8 years now and I have a degree in Psychology. It started off when we took interest on each other's Instagram posts. We then exchanged contacts (sounds like a love story so far) and started discussing about magic and playing card designs. Soon after, I tossed some ideas to Edo and he really liked them and the rest is history.

This is your first Indiegogo project. When did you first start thinking about using Indiegogo? What made you decide to take the plunge?
After the designs were underway, we had to have a platform to share it. I then researched on the platforms available and narrowed down to Indiegogo and Kickstarter. Kickstarter seemed like the obvious choice but we soon found out that we were not able to start a campaign due to where we were from and they do not allow funds collected on Kickstarter to be donated. Thus we turned to Indiegogo and have never looked back.

We decided to take the plunge sometime last year when Edo wanted to do a design that was more elaborate than what he has already put out. He contacted me and I shared my concept with him. We thought that a cross-country collaboration would be awesome and explored that idea to what it is today.

What is your inspiration behind Mantecore Playing Cards? How did you come up with the idea?
I think that tigers are really majestic beasts and am a little saddened that the population of my favourite animal is dwindling. I have long wanted a deck with tigers as the main theme for that reason. I also really like Mark Stutzman's work with the Split Spades and Whispering Imps. Thus I contacted Edo and shared this idea with him. We incorporated this with the most classic back designs and Mantecore was born.

What role did you play in the art direction and how much time did you spend working on the deck?
I basically told Edo what I wanted as a skeleton of the deck and gave him free rein on how he wanted to translate that into pen and paper. He would then submit what he drew and we would discuss and refine the artwork. Believe it or not the first draft of the deck was nothing like the final product.

Most of my time after work and during the weekends were spend either discussing the drafts with Edo, marketing the deck, discussing about the deck with Lawrence from Legends Playing Card Company or setting up the campaign for the decks since the start of the year.

We initially noticed Mantecore on Social Media predominantly Instagram. What do you think of the playing card community on Social Media? 
The number of media on Instagram that has playingcards as a hash tag is currently 160,000 and counting. I love the community on Instagram. That is where I found many super awesome friends who are so skilled and talented. It is also a great platform where people can share crazy pictures of their playing card collection, new moves or flourishes that they just learnt in 15 seconds or under. Some people like @lost_angelus, @shoe32 and @playingcardart are sharing some really eye catching pictures involving playing cards. Go give them a follow If you haven't already.

Social media also connects people from all around the world, which is I like about it. Sharing of ideas can now be done so easily. It is actually how Edo and came to know each other. Without Instagram, there would not have been Mantecore.

With so many playing card projects competing for funding, why should potential backers choose your deck?
Our campaign tagline is " Shuffling Stripes with a Cause". We didn't want Mantecore to be just another deck of cards, we wanted it to have a cause as well. Thus we added a line on the side of the box that says "Save the Tigers" to remind people of their dwindling numbers. We would also donate 5% of profits after the campaign to the Save The Tiger - Panthera Fund.

The entire deck is also custom, from the box, right down to the pips. We have not 1 but 4 custom aces; tweaked court cards that are simplified and look younger but are still familiar to the lay audience; as well as a joker reveal and a double backer for the magicians out there. The backs of Mantecore also has subtle area where magicians can mark their decks.

Finally, what are your favourite playing card decks? 
My favourite decks are the Smoke and Mirrors series as well as Split Spades. The design and handling of those decks are what sets them apart.

Awesome! At the time of writing, the project is only 18% funded with 31 days to go. If want to support the Mantecore Playing Cards, you can find it on Indiegogo here. 


Mantecore Playing Cards will be printed by LPCC and pledge starts from $8.

Card Gear: Magic & Coffee

Card Gear is our monthly feature dedicated to discovering new inventory, setup and accessories used everyday by card designers, cardists, magicians and collectors. The concept originated from the popular social media site, Instagram: #passthepockets. Whenever one of these hashtags come up on the social news feed, there's always something new to discover, no matter who that person is.

This month we have the gears of Magician/Designer Edo Huang. Edo is the founder of Edo Huang Design and well known for his playing card designs such as Nautical, Sky Island, Black Friday and Victorian Room.

Edo spends most of his time at the coffee shop, where he performs close-up magic for customers, learns how to make good coffee and brainstorms new ideas for his playing card designs. Edo loves to meet people and shares his magic. You can see his work on Instagram @edohuang.

Here are Edo's gears. He is really picky about what he brings and use daily for his magic performance.
+ Louis Vuitton men clutch bag
+ Moscot eyeglasses
+ Mont Blanc wallet
+ iPhone 6 Plus
+ Apple watch sport
+ Keepcup
+ Sharpie
+ Lo'ccocitane Hand cream
+ Lo'ccocitane Hand sanitizer
+ Card Coffee Collective Playing cCrds
+ Hocus Pocus Playing Cards
+ Nautical Playing Cards
+ Business card
+ Gatsby card clip

What’s yours? If you would like your card gears to be featured on Kardify, contact us.

Indiegogo: VIGOR Playing Cards by Alvin Herp and Edo Huang

Just launched on Indiegogo, the VIGOR Playing Cards deck is a collaboration between cardist Alvin Herp and designer/magician Edo Huang. VIGOR was officially unveiled during Alvin and Edo's Cardistry workshop in Tangerang, Indonesia back in September. According to Alvin,

Vigor Playing Cards is just my first take on designing a custom deck, like a chance to show people what my own deck of cards would look like. The deck is named Vigor because I think when doing whatever we do in life we all need a bit of enthusiasm, and we have put a lot of it in this deck and we cannot wait to see people shuffle with vigor as well.

Vigor has been crafted with cardists in mind and features custom tuck box, borderless card back, custom Ace, courts and jokers. On the card design, Alvin said,

My passion is cardistry so that's why I want to make the cards look beautiful in motion. What I really love about this deck is the court cards. They are built upon one hexagon frame and all the shapes and the lines just grow from there.

Alvin continued,

Edo has been extremely helpful in this project. He handled several things, especially the back design. We love it and we hope people love it too.

VIGOR Playing Cards will be printed by Bomber Playing Card Co. in Taiwan and pledge starts from $10. Check it out here on Indiegogo!

First Look: Victorian Room Playing Cards by The Blue Crown

The Blue Crown released a handful of teaser images of their latest deck, the Victorian Room. Designed by Edo Huang, this elegant deck is inspired by Victorian-era design and features custom aces, backs and jokers.

From the teaser, the tuck look stunning with striking red foil and a die-cut viewing window on the back. We asked Edo about the idea behind the deck,

A year ago, Alex Pandrea and myself decided to design a playing card design that inspired by Victorian-era. Something different from my previous designs. Something unique and never been done before. 

After months of hard work, many hours of sketching and going through numerous prototypes, Victorian Room Playing Cards will be available on Sunday, February 7 at thebluecrown.com. Printed by the Expert Playing Card Co.


Images courtesy of Edo Huang you can find him on instagram.com/edohuang. If you would like to keep up to date with the latest offering from The Blue Crown, and visit their site at www.thebluecrown.com

Cardistry: Cardvolution Celebrates 8th Anniversary with Cardistry Jam featuring Oliver Sogard, Edo Huang, the Virts, and Jaspas

Cardvolution, a playing card retailer based in Singapore has celebrated its 8th-anniversary last weekend in style – playing cards, magic and cardistry jam.

The anniversary event was bigger this year, with free drinks, mystery decks, shopping vouchers, contest and special VIP guests such as Oliver Søgård, Edo Huang from Indonesia, Kevin and Daren from the Virts, and Jaspas Deck!

Cardvolution has cemented itself as one of the most popular card retailer in Singapore and the region. Founder Alan Teo has managed the company for the past eight years and said he was proud what the company has achieved so far and is appreciative of the support that he's been getting.

I am proud of what Cardvolution have achieved over the 8 years and the event was a success thanks to all that have supported us that day as well as over the past years. Also, a special thanks to Benjamin Loo, Leon Tai, Dylan Tay and Justin Sze for helping out with the event. The jam would not be possible without them.

Eighty cardists were lucky enough to reserve a spot to the Jam held at Fika Cafe on Beach Road, Singapore. The event started with some free and easy time where the cardists got to share ideas with the 5 VIP guests.

This was followed by some fun and games where cardists had to battle it out to see who could execute the most number of ATMs without dropping cards as well as come up with a creative move utilizing a grip that Oliver showed on the spot.

Winners of these 2 games walked away with a deck of STRIPE playing cards signed by Oliver himself. The event ended with a Q&A panel headed by the 5 VIP speakers, discussing creativity, cardistry and more. Check out the official video of the event below:

From The Minds of Alex Pandrea and Edo Huang- SVNGALI: Forbidden Deck

Officially launched during Cardvolution's 10th-anniversary event in Singapore on 30th July, SVNGALI is the newest brand and project from the minds of Alex Pandrea and designer Edo Huang.

The dynamic duo has taken an intriguing concept and combine high-end fashion trends with a classic deck design that captures the imagination.

The Forbidden deck is the first deck in the SVNGALI series and features a custom SNAKE design stamped in red foil on the black tuck. The red on black look is outstanding! It just has this kind of elegant/sophisticated vibe to it.

Inside, the deck is semi-custom with custom-designed card back, custom Ace of Spades, custom number cards and semi-custom courts with a subtle hint of vintage feel.

Available to purchase for $13 from August 23rd to September 13th or until supplies last on svngali.com. Limited to 2,500 decks. Printed by the USPCC on thin Crushed Stock.

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First Look: Sky Island Airways Playing Cards Part II by the Blue Crown

Here is the second part of our exclusive first look at the intriguing Sky Island Airways playing cards. This stylish deck is created by the multi-talented Edo Huang and magician extraordinaire Alex Pandrea. In this part, we look at how the Sky Island Airways concept came about.

The whole concept started back in March 2014 when Alex called Edo in the middle of the night with an idea that he wanted to incorporate into a new deck of playing cards.

Alex told Edo, "Lets make up an airlines theme deck!"

From that idea, they discussed and brainstormed throughout the night about the concept and the theme of the deck. Following that, Edo started doing rough sketches, logo and the back design.

"Alex wanted to make a simple clean back design with a vibrant summer feel", Edo suggested that the face cards, courts, pips and jokers should be customized so that everyone can see a whole new design from these cards and at the same time generate some excitement.

Edo then continued his work with more sketches, digitising them and compiling it into a final draft. Alex liked what he saw and they proceeded to finalised the design.

Sky Island Airways Playing Cards will be printed by the masters at Expert Playing Card Co and will be available on November 28 (Black Friday).

To keep up to date on Sky Island Airways or for more custom playing cards, follow the Blue Crown on their Facebook page.

Exclusive First Look: Hocus Pocus Playing Cards

Hocus Pocus in collaboration with Edo Huang have announced the release of a new deck of playing cards featuring an eye-catching purple tuck box adorned with gold ink. Hocus Pocus Inc was founded 40 years ago by Paul Gross and for its 40th anniversary, Hocus Pocus wanted to expand their already extensive product offering. The company carries the very best of all new releases and exclusive effects from top magicians and magic companies from around the world.

The idea for the Hocus Pocus Playing Cards was conceptualised in the summer of 2015 when Max Gross, manager of Hocus Pocus Inc and his brother Cole started brainstorming for a deck design. When it came to a designer the brothers knew immediately that Edo was the man. With the idea, Edo took the deck to a whole new level, to say the least.

We wanted a deck that related to our company but wasn't a direct advertisement. Another factor while designing was making it represent a vintage magic feel. Edo took this idea and made it into a masterpiece. 

With details such as the initials of the two brothers, to fine details on the Jokers and hidden details on the card backs, you will feel a piece of the company in your hands!

This deck is for the magicians and collectors alike who want to perform and yet own a piece of memorabilia from this iconic company.

Printed by the USPCC, the Hocus Pocus Playing Cards will launch on Kickstarter in July 2016.


To find out more about the Hocus Pocus Playing Cards and anything Hocus Pocus, visit them at hocus-pocus.com or follow them on Instagram.

First Look: Mantecore V3 Playing Cards

Inspired by their love for this majestic beast, Mantecore V3 Playing Cards is the follow-up to the bold Mantecore decks designed by Edo Huang and Benjamin Loo. The new Mantecores are bold and eye-catching.

This deck will be the ONLY deck you will ever need for the Lunar New Year of the Tiger. This version features the most ambitious collaboration of ideas and inputs from all across the globe helmed by Edo. 

The fully custom deck is enhanced with a new eye-catching orange/black colorway and functionality with updated colors and metallic Pantone inks on the pips, indices, and standard courts. 

The deck is housed in an orange tuck case with a brand new wraparound design. The head of the majestic beast is prominently featured, reflecting the power, might, and agility of the creature.

Printed by the United States Playing Card Co. Mantecore V3 is scheduled to launch on Kickstarter, 1st of February 2022. Don't miss out!

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OFF THE WALL Playing Cards, the Third SVNGALI Deck

OFF THE WALL is the third deck from SVNGALI, the newest brand, and project from the minds of Alex Pandrea and designer Edo Huang. This third installment showcases an artistic design that is inspired by modern art galleries and graffiti art.'

OFF THE WALL features a custom graffiti paint one-way back design, custom Ace of Spades, REVEAL Court Cards throughout the deck, and custom cards with a subtle hint of a vintage feel.

The wild colored aesthetics of the deck will almost certainly turn heads. So far we are loving what both Alex and Edo are doing with the brand and we cant wait to see what the next deck will be!

SVNGALI: OFF THE WALL Playing Cards is available now on Svngali.com for $13.

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Deck View: Mantecoremmunity (Limited Edition) Playing Cards

Bold. Eye-catching. Majestic.

Mantecore V3 Playing Cards: Mantecoremmunity is the follow-up to the bold Mantecore decks designed by Edo Huang and Benjamin Loo inspired by their love for this majestic beast. Helmed by Edo, version 3 features the most ambitious collaboration of ideas and inputs from all across the globe. The result is a fully custom deck enhanced with a new eye-catching orange/black colorway and functionality with updated colors and metallic Pantone inks on the pips, indices, and standard courts.

The limited edition deck is housed in a white tuck case with a brand-new wraparound design. The head of the majestic beast is prominently featured, reflecting the power, might, and agility of the creature. The new Mantecores are truly bold and eye-catching. This limited edition deck features tiger stripes on the edges of the cards. Giving it a cool, bold look!

Printed by the United States Playing Card Co. and are available now on Cardvo.com. Besides getting a stunning deck, you also get to support WWF’s tiger conservation efforts!

Submit YOUR Design for a Chance to Win a Brick of the Next Mantecore Deck

The team at Mantecore playing cards (Instagram: @mantecore) is looking for your help to design the addition to the series. Submit YOUR playing card design for a chance to win a brick of the next Mantecore deck with your design when it is funded.

If you ever wanted your design on a deck of cards and work with renowned playing card artist, Edo Huang, here is your chance. According to founder Benjamin Loo,

Having so many people love our previous 2 decks and give us valuable feedback on how we can improve our deck, we thought what better way to move forward than to incorporate YOUR ideas and design into our next Mantecore deck.

If you could design a tiger-themed deck of playing cards, how and what would it look like? Here’s how to submit your design/ideas:

1. Sketch or describe the idea for an ace, the back design, the court cards, or even the jokers.
2. Post your ideas on your Instagram page with the hashtag #mantecor3 and #mantecore and tag @mantecore.
3. Send @mantecore a DM with the design if your acc is private. Note: If you do not have Instagram you could also email your ideas/design to mantecorepc@gmail.com. 

The Mantecore team will choose 5 favorite designs/ideas and Edo will incorporate them into the final design. The plan is to get the deck on Kickstarter by the start of the year of the tiger in 2022 (1 Feb).

If the deck is successfully funded, the 5 submissions that the team chooses will receive one brick of the newly funded Mantecore deck shipped to you on the house. Disclaimer: All design/ideas submitted to the Mantecore team will allow them to use your design in part or fully if selected.

Submissions end 31 July and our favorite picks will be announced on 15 Aug.

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Deck View: Hocus Pocus 40th Anniversary Playing Cards

Heritage. Anniversary. Gorgeous.

In conjunction with their 40th anniversary, Hocus Pocus successfully funded this stunning deck on Kickstarter! With designer Edo Huang, the team at Hocus Pocus crafted a deck that captured the heritage and feel of the company as well as appeal to all areas of card community. This deck made it to the Honorable Mention list in our Top 12 Playing Cards of 2017.

The Hocus Pocus 40th anniversary Playing Cards features a stylish deep purple back design with contrasting gold metallic ink, gorgeous Ace of Spades, light grey wash, and fine line detail on the background of each face cards. The USPCC courts have been recolored to match the theme and the vintage feel of the deck.

The deck is neatly packaged in a stunning deep purple tuck box paired with sculpted gold foil, printed on a Soft Touch Stock for a velvet feel and classy look. The design hearkens back to the days when stage magic utilized contrasting colors and flashy patterns to capture spectators attention.

For more cool decks, check out JP Games.

SVNGALI Deck 07- Human Stranger Playing Cards

Human Stranger is deck number 7 from SVNGALI, the intriguing brand from the minds of Alex Pandrea and designer Edo Huang. This latest installment showcases an artistic design with a dark twist. 

 

Human Stranger features a custom back design, custom Ace of Spades, Custom Court Cards throughout the deck, and custom cards with a subtle hint of vintage, eerie feel. 

 

Similar to the previous SVNGALI deck, Human Strange has an intricate design and mysterious details, while maintaining an overall elegant appeal of the brand.

SVNGALI: Human Stranger Playing Cards is available now on Svngali.com for $13.

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SVNGALI 06: Skull & Dagger Playing Cards

Skull & Dagger is the SIXTH deck from SVNGALI, a brand from the minds of Alex Pandrea and designer Edo Huang. This latest installment showcases an artistic design with a freaky twist. 

 
Skull & Dagger features a custom back design, custom Ace of Spades, Custom Court Cards throughout the deck, and custom cards with a subtle hint of vintage, eerie feel. 

 
Compared to the other deck in the SVNGALI series, Skull & Dagger has an intricate design and beautiful details, while maintaining an overall elegant appeal of the brand. 

 
SVNGALI: Skull & Dagger Playing Cards is available now on Svngali.com for $13.

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